“As we say here each week, our challenges start with ourselves. The last couple of weeks on offense, our execution has been down. You look back at last week and we were 14 percent efficient running the ball and 20 percent efficient throwing the ball. That keeps you in a lot of third and long situations, and then we’re 2-for-15 in those, you don’t sustain drives. For us, it’s not as much about Virginia defensively, it’s about us executing the things we want on offense.”

On the running game against Florida State:

“We didn’t get a lot of movement at the point of attack. I thought we missed a few reads. Our running game is predicated on our quarterback and the zone-read game. Once C.J. [Brown] went down, some things changed in what we were able to get executed. We’ve got to block people better and we’ve got to maintain blocks. When you’re in the zone-read scheme, you’ve got to make sure you read it correctly. When we get the ball to the edge, we’ve got to take care of blocking the perimeter. We’ve got to get all those things accomplished running the football and we haven’t been very good at it.”

On if the scheme changes when certain players are injured:

“Hopefully you don’t adjust on the fly. We prepare for worst case scenarios as always. We know what the strengths and weaknesses are of the offensive players in our scheme. A lot of that stuff is done before the game even starts, so it’s not an on the fly adjustment. There may be a few things you tweak when it happens and we’ve got to do a better job of handling that when it takes place, whether it’s receivers, quarterbacks or running backs. Out mentality is the next man up. The next guy has to step up and do the job.”

On quarterback Caleb Rowe’s performance:

“As I told him after the game, I thought Caleb came in and executed a lot better than what I would have expected. Coming into that type of situation, his first play was a 3rd-and-12 and he bangs the seven route for a first down. Then he comes back and gets into a little rhythm and gets the ball to Stef (Stefon Diggs). Then we get a holding penalty. When you play really good teams like Florida State in that type of environment, you’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity you’re given and I thought Caleb played OK.”

On correcting the offensive mistakes heading into Saturday:

“All those things are correctable, whether it’s through a change of personnel or guys getting better at the techniques and reworking some of the technical things that it takes. We self-scout ourselves every Monday and we look to say, who are we? Your personnel dictates who you are first and foremost and then what you can get accomplished or get executed is the second most important thing so we look at that each week and at the plan we’re putting together and we’ve got to get it cleaned up more today and tomorrow.”

On running back Jacquille Veii:

“Jacquille’s a talented player. We’ve got Brandon [Ross] and Albert [Reid], both those guys are talented players. Jacquille does bring a different element. Like anything, we continue to look and find ways to get our best players the ball and I thought he came in and did some good things at the end. I thought the game dictated some of that. We were trying to get out of the game and Florida State was trying to finish up the game themselves.”

On responding from the loss:

“It’’s our jobs as coaches to get us through it and that’s where I think the system of how we approach each week dictates it because there’s not a lot of time to dwell on what happened Saturday. We addressed it Sunday and one of the things we said on offense is we wouldn’t allow what happened Saturday to a really good Florida State team to have any meaning on what happens this upcoming week against Virginia. We buried it on Sunday and went out and practiced and prepared on Sunday. The way our schedule goes, it doesn’t allow it to linger because once we get out of the team meeting and the film review, we’re out on the practice field showing Virginia looks. We haven’t done much talking about the Florida State game because all our effort and energy is into preparing our guys for a tough Virginia team that’s coming in here.”

On if Saturday’s game will show the character of the team:

“There’s no doubt you’ll see. We had two of our better practices Sunday. Tuesdays are like pulling teeth. They’re coming off a day off and this is the time of year with a lot of midterms and things like that, but the focus was there. We’ll find out a lot about ourselves this Saturday.”

Defensive Coordinator Brian Stewart

On moving on from Florida State to Virginia:

“On Sunday, we look at the tape from last week’s game, the good, the bad, and the ugly and then we practice on Sunday. It’s Virginia. We focus on Virginia and try to prepare for them.”

On the offensive challenges Virginia poses:

“I think they’ve got a strong running game. Both running backs, especially [Kevin] Parks, are running really well. Then, the quarterback’s a good runner. He does a good job of reading. They’ve got a zone-read scheme that they run and he’s not a bad passer. He’s got a good, strong arm. He’s a good athlete.”

On scouting Virginia despite personnel changes:

“The offensive line was different. They’ve been changing and moving around the offensive line. They used some different receivers, but their scheme stayed steady and what we’ve got to do is look at the scheme and what they do in different formations and attack it. That’s what we’ve been doing.”

On defensive lineman Zeke Riser:

“I thought he did a good job. He did what we asked him to do. He’s a solid player. He used his hands, filled his gaps, so I was pretty excited. I was excited for him that he got his first chance to go out there and play for us.”

On the mood at practice this week:

“I thought that on Sunday we ran around well and then I thought yesterday was a good practice for us. I thought the energy was up and the attention to detail was up. I was pretty excited about that.”

On defensive lineman Andre Monroe:

“He’s quick. He’s experienced. He’s played before and he’s a good player for us. If we see something where we can use him to take advantage we’re going to do that. We thought that he’d do a good job for us.”

“It’ll be good to get back out on the field today and get ready to prepare for this week’s game against Virginia, a team that we will be playing for the last time here at Maryland, as we continue to go throughout the season. But it’s a team that is very talented. They’ve been hurting themselves with turnovers, but what we’ve got to do is take care of ourselves and make sure we do the things that we’re supposed to do, offensively, defensively and on special teams.”

On team’s mood following the game at Florida State:

“The mood of the team is good. We went out on the field on Sunday and that Florida State game was behind us when we went out to practice. It’s over with, it’s done, we move to forward to Virginia on Saturday afternoon and we’ll go out there today and have a really good practice and have a really good one tomorrow and Thursday, good mental day Friday, and be ready to play on Saturday and look to get our fifth win.”

On the status of quarterback C.J. Brown:

“As far as any of the injuries and go and in regards to anybody I won’t make any comment until Thursday after practice when we get a chance to evaluate everybody during practice during the week and at the end of the week at about six o’clock, we’ll have an update on all the injuries.”

On Virginia’s running game:

“They ran the ball really well against Ball State, had over 240 yards. Kevin Parks is very quick, does a really good job in terms of finding the hole. Khalek Shepherd is also a really good back. [David] Watford is a good quarterback. They run things out of the pistol and they’ll run some of the zone-read things as well, but again Parks is a good tough runner and really a good football player.”

On defensive lineman Andre Monroe:

“I thought Andre played a really good game last week. It’s good to see him healthy. That move kind of coincided with getting Zeke [Riser] back into the fold. We played Andre inside there last week because he’s got good quickness, strength and plays with good leverage. Having Zeke come back, we just felt that putting Zeke behind Keith [Bowers] and putting Andre inside puts our best guys on the field because of how many defensive linemen we play.”

On when a decision about quarterback C.J. Brown’s status for Saturday’s game will be announced:

“On Thursday I will put out an injury report just like I do every Thursday for an ACC game that we will have. We don’t talk about injuries during the week. All of the decisions that we make are after practice on Thursday. We get through the week and see how everybody practices. Guys could be not hurt today and then all of a sudden something happens on Thursday and he is out. So no decision is ever made until Thursday after practice, so we can see where we are once we get through those physical practices for the week.”

On the procedure for dealing with concussions:

“We have a process and a protocol that our players have to go through here, which is administered by our trainers and doctors. I’m not going into the exact protocol that they go through, but it’s pretty much similar to that of a NFL team. They have to pass certain tests and be cleared by the doctor. Believe me, we are never going to put any young man on the field with a concussion or any injury, unless they are fully able to play and our cleared by the medical staff. As a coach, I don’t have anything to do with any of those decisions. I just get the injury report from our trainers and doctors. They tell me whose [in] and whose not. We go by that standard. We always have a protocol with the concussions and with any injury that we go through. We are going to make sure that kid is ready to go and play at a high level before returning after an injury.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Owen Blye had a hat trick to lead the Terps, but No. 2 Maryland lost to Virginia, 13-6, in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament Friday evening at North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium.

The loss drops the Terps to 9-3 on the season, while the Cavaliers improve to 7-7.

The first quarter saw only one goal with Virginia’s Mark Cockerton scoring at the 14:01 mark. Maryland junior goalie Niko Amato was part of the reason for the Cavalier output, making three saves in the opening quarter.

Maryland got on the board first in the second when junior Mike Chanenchuk ripped a low shot from the right alley inside the far pipe to tie the game at 1-1 with 13:50 on the clock.

The Cavaliers responded quickly and retook the lead 35 seconds later on Cockerton’s second goal of the game.

The Virginia lead grew to 3-1 at the 11:05 mark of the second when the Wahoos’ extra-man unit converted on a holding penalty on Maryland’s Casey Ikeda.

Senior John Haus closed the Terrapin deficit to one when he got some inside leverage on a Virginia defender, tight-roped the crease and scored from inside with 4:46 to play in the second.

Virginia refused to allow the Terps to rally and used goals by Rob Emery and Cockerton to push the lead to three goals with 3:36 to go in the first half.

Blye opened the scoring in the second half, going around the left side of the goal and scoring unassisted to cut the Virginia lead to 5-3 at the 12:33 mark.

Virginia continued to respond to every Maryland goal with one of its own. This time it was Matt White scoring an unassisted goal to push the Wahoo lead back to three with 8:47 left in the third.

Maryland took advantage of a pair of non-releasable penalties on Virginia to score two extra-man goals to cut the Virginia lead to one with under 5:00 to play in the third.

Senior Jake Bernhardt scored the first, scoring on a step-down from the left alley off of a feed from Chanenchuk.

Chanenchuk was also on the giving end of the second extra-man goal; this time feeding Blye, who scored his second goal of the game.

But that was as close at the Terps would get as the Cavaliers rattled off seven straight goals of the game to take a 13-5 lead.

Blye scored his third of the game to finish his hat trick with less than 30 seconds left to make it a 13-6 final.

Maryland closes out its regular season on Saturday, May 4 with “Senior Day” at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium vs. Colgate. Faceoff is scheduled for noon.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 13-6 loss, Maryland is now 45-44 all-time vs. Virginia.
• With three points on a goal and two assists, junior Mike Chanenchuk now has 26 multi-point and seven multi-assist games for his career.
• With three points on three goals, senior Owen Blye now has seven hat tricks, 31 multi-point, and 18 multi-goal games in his career.
• Blye’s three points gives him 107 for his career tying him with Bill McGlone (2003-06) for 38th place on Maryland’s all-time points list.
• With 10 saves, junior Niko Amato recorded his seventh game this season and 19th of his career with at least 10 saves.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse team (9-2) is the No. 1 seed in the 2013 ACC Tournament and will play No. 4 seed Virginia (6-7) in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m. at North Carolina’s Keenan Stadium on Friday, April 26.

• The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, as well as streamed on ESPN3.com. Fans can also watch the game on their wireless device with the WatchESPN app. Mike Corey will provide the play-by-play, while the analysis will come from Matt Ward.

• The second semifinal game features No. 2 seed North Carolina (10-3) battling No. 3 seed Duke at 7:30 p.m. The winners of the two games will meet in the finals on Sunday, April 28 at 1 p.m.

• Maryland is coming off of an 8-7 home win over No. 15 Yale last Saturday. Junior midfielder Mike Chanenchuk had four points on three goals and one assist and capped off his hat trick by scoring the game-winning goal with just 13 seconds left in the game. Senior Owen Blye also had four points on three goals and an assist for the Terps. Junior goalie Niko Amato turned in the 29th 20-plus save performance in the history of Maryland men’s lacrosse with 24 saves vs. the Bulldogs. The 24 saves is the most by an ACC goalie since 2006 when Maryland’s Harry Alfordhad 25 in a 13-6 win over Georgetown on Feb. 26.

• For the season, senior attackman Kevin Cooper leads the Terps in points and assists with 34 and 17, respectively. Chanenchuk took over the team lead in goals with his three vs. Yale and now has 18 for the season. Four other Terps have scored double-digit goals. Sophomore Jay Carlson and Blye each have 17 goals, while Jake Bernhardt and John Haus have 14 apiece. Defensively, Amato has stopped 61.9 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents and has a 7.16 goals-against average, both of which leads the ACC. Sophomore faceoff man Charlie Raffa leads the team with 69 groundballs, while senior Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 17 caused turnovers.

• Virginia snapped a six-game losing streak with a 12-7 home win over Bellarmine last Saturday. The Cavaliers’ offense is led by its attack of Nick O’Reilly, Mark Cockerton and Owen Van Arsdale. That trio has combined for 73 goals and 50 assists for 123 points. Senior midfielder Matt White has hit the 30-point mark this seson with 19 goals and 11 assists. Sophomore goalie Rhody Heller has started seven games in cage this season and has a 9.09 goals-against average with a .455 save percentage.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 100 of the 109 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .917 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 118-26 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .819 winning percentage.
8 … Eight Terps have started all 11 games so far in 2013.
7 … Scott Hochstadt’s seven goals vs. Virginia in the 1998 ACC finals is still the record for goals in a single tournament game.
6 … Joe Walters scored six goals on 16 shots in the 2004 ACC championship game vs. Virginia.
5 … Owen Blye has five career points in ACC tournament play.
4 … Maryland has claimed four ACC tournament titles, including the 2004 championship that was held in Chapel Hill.
3 … Jay Carlson scored three goals vs. Virginia in the first meeting between the two schools this season.
2 … John Haus needs two points to become the first full-time midfielder to score 100 career points since Bill McGlone hit that milestone in 2006.
1 … Only one current Terp – Jake Bernhardt – played in the 2009 ACC semifinal game vs. UNC in Keenan Stadium.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his sixth season as a head coach, and third with the Terps, with a 54-32 career record for a 62.8 winning percentage. Tillman is 34-13 (.723) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Dom Starsia, who is in his 31st season as a head coach, has won 72.9 percent of his games at Brown and Virginia (347-129 overall record).

Series History vs. Virginia
• The Maryland-Virginia rivalry is the third-longest in Terrapin lacrosse history with Maryland holding a 45-43 (.511) advantage, dating to the first game — a Terps’ 10-1 victory on April 24, 1926. The 45 wins are the third-highest number of victories Maryland has against any team. The Terps have defeated Duke 60 times and Navy 52 times.

• Last season saw No. 2 Virginia hold off the No. 9 Terrapins, 12-8, in College Park. Joe Cummings had three points on two goals and an assist to lead Maryland, but it wasn’t enough as Steele Stanwick had three goals and five assists for the Wahoos.

• Virginia and Maryland met in an all-ACC NCAA title game in 2011 with the Wahoos winning the championship, 9-7. Grant Catalino and John Haus led the Terps with three points apiece. Niko Amato made eight saves in the game.

• In the 2011 regular season, the Cavaliers hosted the Terps in UVa’s Scott Stadium prior to the annual Orange/Blue Spring Football game. A crowd of 10,545 came out and saw Maryland defeate Virginia, 12-7. Ryan Young led all scorers with six points in the win on two goals and four assists, while Joe Cummings and John Haus each scored four goals for the Terps.Niko Amato proved once again that he plays his best on a big stage with a 12-save effort.

• The two teams met again in the championship game of the 2010 ACC Tournament and again it was the Cavaliers coming out on top, 10-6. Maryland couldn’t solve Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman, who was named the Tournament MVP after making 16 saves vs. the Terps. Grant Catalino led Maryland on offense with a goal and an assist, while Max Schmidt had two groundballs and three caused turnovers to pace the defensive effort.

• The meeting in the 2010 regular season had a silimar theme to the previous two games between Maryland and Virginia – controversy. The Wahoos raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and held a 10-5 lead early in the fourth. But Maryland rallied to score four unanswered goals in the fourth to cut the deficit to one. The game appeared to be tied when Ryan Youngbatted a loose ball into the Cavalier goal with 2:00 left in the game. But, the goal was waved off when the cross-field official whistled Young for being in the crease. The controversy came when TV replays of the play failed to show Young step in the crease conclusively. Virginia went up 11-9 on the transition following the call. Will Yeatman, who led Maryland with four goals and an assist in the game, scored with less than a minute to go to cut the lead to 11-10, but the Terps couldn’t get the tying goal before the clock expired. Brian Phipps was terrific in net for the Terps, stopping 16 Wahoo shots.

• In 2009 it took seven overtimes (the longest Division I men’s lacrosse game in history) for Virginia to eek out a 10-9 victory in Charlottesville. The win was not without controversy as an official’s inadvertant whistle wiped off a goal by Grant Catalino just nine seconds into the first overtime. Will Yeatman was a dominant force in the game, accounting for two goals and three assists. Brian Phipps was spectacular in cage, stopping 11 Wahoo shots.

• The two teams played three times in 2008. In the regular-season game the then-No. 4 Terps knocked off the newly minted No. 1 Cavaliers, 13-7, at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. Freshman Travis Reed had a breakout performance, scoring a hat trick, assisting on two other goals and grabbing three groundballs. Not to be outdone, goalie Jason Carter made a career-best 15 saves to help seal the victory for the Terrapins.

• The two teams then hooked-up in the 2008 ACC tournament for the fifth straight season and the Cavaliers prevailed with an 11-8 win on their home field in Charlottesville. Grant Catalino led the Terps with three points on a pair of goals and an assist.

• The Wahoos also took the rubber match, a controversial 8-7 overtime thriller in the NCAA Quarterfinals in Annapolis. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Maryland holding a 7-6 lead, Travis Reed appeared to give Maryland a two-goal cushion, but a Cavalier defender pushed Ryan Young into the crease before the goal, nullifying the score. The Cavaliers went on to tie the game in regulation before scoring the game-winner with just 34 seconds left in the first overtime period.

• These two teams locked up in a classic in the semifinals of the 2007 ACC tournament. Maryland jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Cavaliers rallied to take a four-goal lead at 10-6 in the fourth quarter. That’s when Maryland stormed back, but the comeback fell short and Virginia was able to hold on for an 11-10 win. Dan Groot led Maryland with five points on four goals and an assist.

• In 2007’s regular season meeting, the second-ranked Cavaliers defeated the No. 8 Terps 12-8 in Charlottesville. Wahoo attackman Ben Rubeor scored five goals to pace Virginia, while Max Ritz (3-0) and Michael Phipps (1-2) each had three points for the Terps.

• On April 1, 2006, the No. 1 Cavaliers jumped out early, scoring just 15 seconds into the game, and never looked back, handing Maryland a 15-5 loss at Byrd Stadium. The Ritz brothers, Max and Xander, each scored two goals with Max also picking up a pair of assists. Bill McGlone scored the other goal for the Terps.

• The two schools hooked up again in the ACC title game and again it was Virginia taking the game, this time by an 11-5 margin. Brendan Healy and Bill McGlone each had three points in the loss.

• The 2005 regular season game was tough for the fourth-ranked Terps as they were handed a 10-2 loss at No. 3 Virginia on April 2. The Cavaliers held Maryland scoreless until the 4:51 mark of the third quarter when Joe Walters scored. It was the first time Maryland had been held without a goal in a half since a 7-2 loss at Virginia in 2001.

• Things were a little different in the rematch on April 29, 2005 in the ACC Semifinals. Brendan Healy gave Maryland a 1-0 lead in the first, but the ‘Hoos scored three unanswered to take a 3-1 lead. But the Terps stormed back with a 3-0 run of their own on goals from Max Ritz, Healy and Xander Ritz to take a 4-3 lead into the half. The Cavaliers took a 7-5 lead into the fourth quarter, but Andrew Schwartzman and Bill McGlone scored the final to goals in regulation to send the game into sudden death. In the overtime period, freshman Max Ritz proved to be the hero for Maryland, but putting back a rebound off of a Mcglone shot to sent the Terps into the ACC finals with an 8-7 win.

• Maryland has won three of six meetings in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps topped the Cavaliers in a pair of first round games in 1978 and 1983 and won a 1997 quarterfinal game, 10-9, played at Byrd Stadium. In that last NCAA meeting, Virginia broke its three-game post-season losing streak to the Terps with a 14-4 win in the NCAA semifinals in Baltimore en route to the 2003 national championship. Virginia then took the 2008 quart erfinal game, 8-7, in overtime at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The Cavaliers continues its winning streak over the Terps in the NCAA tournament with a 9-7 win in the 2011 NCAA title game..

Get To 10 And Win
• One axiom of lacrosse is that if you score 10 goals or more your chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since 2002 shows that when Maryland scores 10 or more goals there’s not just a pretty good chance the Terrapins will win; it’s an almost certainty. Since 2002 Maryland has won 100 of the 109 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .917 winning percentage.

• Maryland scored 10, but fell at North Carolina, 11-10, on March 24, 2012 and again came out on the losing end, despite scoring 11 in a 13-11 loss at Colgate on May 5, 2012. The Terps scored 11 vs. Johns Hopkins on April 16, 2011, but the Blue Jays won the game in overtime, 12-11. On April 3 of last season the Terps lost to No. 1 Virginia by a final of 11-10, giving Maryland its only loss when scoring 10 or more goals in 2010. In 2009 the Terps lost to Georgetown, 13-10 on Feb. 21 and lost again when scoring 10 in the ACC Semifinals in a 16-10 defeat at North Carolina. Prior to that, Maryland had not lost when scoring 10 or more goals since dropping an 11-10 decision to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Terrapins got to 10 goals in the 100th game against Johns Hopkins, but the Blue Jays took the game 14-10. Virginia is the only team to beat the Terps twice when allowing 10 or more goals. The Wahoos did it first in 2002 with another 11-10 decision.

Holding Opponents To Single-Digits
• The Terps have been extremely impressive (winning 91.7 percent of its games since 2002) when it scores 10 or more goals, they have been nearly as impressive when holding opponents to less than 10 goals during that span.

• Since 2002 Maryland is 118-26 in games, for a .819 winning percentage, when it has held opponents under 10 goals. The Terps have played 191 total games since 2002. Maryland has held opponents to nine goals or less 75.4 percent of the time.

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple – when the Terps shoot well they win. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season. Maryland is 9-2 on the year and has shot 30% or better in six of its nine victories and under that mark in each of its two defeats.

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 61-4 (.938) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The only four losses were: 13-10 to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas), 11-10 to No. 1 Virginia on April 3, 2010 (10 of 33 for 30.3%), 12-11 in overtime on April 16, 2011 to No. 3 Johns Hopkins (11 of 28 for 39.3%) and 13-11 at Colgate on May 5, 2012 (11 of 31 for 35.5%).

• If 30% is the benchmark, then 40% shooting is in a class all to itself and Maryland has shot 40% or better in 14 games since the start of the 2008 season. Out of those 14 games, Maryland shot 50% or better in four of them.

Three Terps Earn All-ACC Honors
• Maryland placed three players on the 2013 All-ACC Men’s Lacrosse Team, which was announced on April 24 by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Junior goalieNiko Amato made the team for the third-straight season, while senior long poleJesse Bernhardtand senior midfielderJohn Hausare two-time honorees.

• All four ACC men’s programs are represented on the annual All-ACC team, which was determined by a vote of the four head coaches. Maryland’s three honorees were the tied by Duke and Virginia, which each also had three selections, while North Carolina had two players make the team. .

Three Terps Named To Tewaaraton Watch List
• Senior midfielders Jesse Bernhardt and John Haus are joined by junior goalie Niko Amato on the 2013 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The Terrapin trio are three of 92 selections on the Watch List.

• The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot along side these elite players. The lists will be narrowed to 25 men’s and women’s nominees in late April. In mid-May, five men’s and five women’s finalists will be announced. These finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 13th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 30 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Bernhardt Named Senior CLASS Finalist
· Maryland senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt was named one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Fan voting consists of one-third of the final total to determine the winner, so click on the graphic to vote for Jesse. Fans can vote once per day per device, so come back every day to cast your vote for Jesse.

The 700 Club
· Maryland’s 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 was the program’s 700th victory in 84 seasons of varsity men’s lacrosse. The Terps join Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Army as the only programs with 700 or more Division I wins.

· Two things that make Maryland’s accomplishment all the more impressive is that the Terps reached the 700-win plateau in just their 84th season. Only Syracuse reached win No. 700 in as few seasons, but it took the Orange 53 more games than Maryland. In fact, Maryland needed only 940 games to reach 700 wins and only Johns Hopkins needed fewer games (932) to hit the historic number, but the Blue Jays did so in their 105th season.

Terps’ 88th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 746-251-4 (.747), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 87 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 12-6. The program reached the 700-win milestone with a 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 at Ludwig Field.

• During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland’s win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage. So far, Maryland is 25-9 in the 2010’s for a .735 winning percentage.

Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 46 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 26-20 (.565) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• The Terps are scheduled to play four games (at Duke (W, 16-7), at Virginia (W, 9-7), vs. Johns Hopkins (L, 4-7) and the ACC tournament semifinals) on ESPNU in 2013.

Going Purple
· Once again this season, the Terps will be wearing purple “MY” stickers, to show their support for the fight against pancreatic cancer, which touched everyone in the Maryland lacrosse familywith the passing of Maria Young on April 17, 2011.

· This past fall the Terps, Maryland alums and family and friends came together for the inaugural Forever Young Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. More on Ms. Young and her amazing story can be found here: Forever Young.

· If you’re interested in more information about the Lustgarten Foundation, including how to make a donation, click here to visit the foundation’s website. You can also get more information on pancreatic cancer at CurePC.org.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about pancreatic cancer from the American Cancer Society:
· More than 43,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer present each year
· There are more than 36,000 deaths from pancreatic cancer each year
· The lifetime risk of having pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 71.
· The risk is about the same for both men and women.

Going Gray
· Maryland players will also be wearing gray stickers with the number 42 in honor of Zack Wholley’s father, John, who passed away from brain cancer on August 28, 2011.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the National Brain Tumor Society website.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about brain and spinal cord tumors from the American Cancer Society:
· About 22,910 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (12,630 in males and 10,280 in females) will be diagnosed. These numbers would likely be much higher if benign tumors were also included.
· About 13,700 people (7,720 males and 5,980 females) will die from these tumors.
· Overall, the chance that a person will develop a malignant tumor of the brain or spinal cord in his or her lifetime is about one in 150 for a man and one in 185 for a woman.

Going Teal
• Maryland players will also be wearing teal stickers in honor of Andrew Walsh’s mother, Gia, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Here are some facts about ovarian cancer from the American Cancer Society and the Ovarian Cancer Institute:
· Ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.
· Ovarian cancer will strike over 20,000 women this year.
· It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
· Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in women. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 71.
· Currently, there are no effective means of early detection.
· Only 25% of cases are diagnosed early before the cancer has spread to the pelvic region. For these women, the 5-year survival rate is 90%.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
• Maryland’s 10-9 win over the Lehigh on May 11, 2012 extended the Terps’ streak of double-digit win seasons to 10. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the D1scource.com).

• How does Maryland’s string of 10+ win seasons stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least six-straight 10-win seasons:

• Cornell’s string of seven-straight 10+ win seasons came to an end in 2012 with a 9-4 final mark.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has an 84-3-1 (.960) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 19 openers and 26 of the last 27, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when they fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.

• After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

20 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Mount St. Mary’s to open the 2013 season the Terps have an 20-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last nine over Denver, Mount St. Mary’s (twice), Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (four times), Bellarmine (twice), Presbyterian, Detroit Mercy and Hartford. Over the 20-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 290-105 (an average score of 14.5-5.3) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 20 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.

A Family Affair
· Many school’s refer to their sports programs as families, but the Maryland men’s lacrosse program is truely a family affair. Since 2002, the Terps have had 13 sets of brothers, including three on this season’s roster, don the red and black together for at least one season.

Five Taken In MLL Draft
• Led by senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt, a record-tying five Maryland men’s lacrosse student-athletes were chosen in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse collegiate draft.

• Bernhardt was chosen fourth overall by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, becoming the second-highest Terrapin ever drafted in the MLL (Joe Walters, first overall selection in 2006). He is just the seventh Maryland player to be taken in the first round, joining Lee Zink (2004, 5th), Chris Passavia (2004, 6th), Walters, Bill McGlone (2006, 5th), Ray Megill (2007, 9th) and Joe Cinosky (2008, 9th).

• Senior midfielder John Haus was the next Terrapin off the board, going to the Hamilton Nationals in the second round with the 15th overall selection. Haus was followed by senior midfielder Kevin Cooper, who went to the Bayhawks with the 16th overall pick.

• The Denver Outlaws, which already has three Terps on its roster (Zink, Jeremy Sieverts and Drew Snider), were then next MLL squad to take a Maryland player, selecting senior midfielder Landon Carr with the 23rd overall selection.

• The fifth Terp to be selected was senior attackman Owen Blye with the very next pick by the Charlotte Hounds.

• The five players selected ties the school record for most players taken in the MLL draft. The 2011 senior class also had five players taken – Brian Farrell, Brett Schmidt, Dan Burns, Grant Catalino and Ryan Young.

• Maryland’s 2013 senior class also features redshirt senior midfielder Jake Bernhardt, who was selected by the Nationals with the 12th overall selection in the 2012 MLL collegiate draft.

2013 Team Captains
• Three players have been named team captains for the 2013 season. The trio, which was selected by a combination of team vote and coaches’ input, consists of seniors Jake Bernhardt, Jesse Bernhardt and Owen Blye. All three return as team captains from the 2012 squad.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Jay Carlson scored three goals and junior goalie made 14 saves to lead the No. 2 University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team to a 9-7 victory over No. 15 Virginia on Saturday in front of 5,225 at Klockner Stadium.

The victory, which was the Terps’ first at Klockner Stadium since 2003, boosts the Terrapins’ record to 7-1 on the season and closes out their conference record at 2-1. The Cavaliers now stand at 5-6 overall and 0-1 in ACC play.

Maryland got off to a fast start when junior Mike Chanencuk ripped a low shot from 10 yards straight away to give the Terps a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into the game.

The lead grew to 2-0 as some Terrapin defensive standouts hooked up for a transition goal. Sophomore Casey Ikeda caused a Virginia turnover near the top of the restraining box and senior Landon Carr picked up the loose ball and pushed the transition up the field. The Wahoo defense picked up Carr as he entered the box, but he threaded a pass to senior Jesse Bernhardt, who ripped a shot past UVa goalie Rhodey Heller at the 13:06 mark.

Carlson gave Maryland a 3-0 cushion with 8:15 left in the first when he scored a goal from virtually no angle on the left side of the crease.

Virginia got on the board with an extra-man goal at 6:19 in the first on a Ryan Tucker score.

The second quarter was scoreless until the 7:57 mark when the Wahoo defense gave senior Kevin Cooper a little too much room in the right alley and Cooper buried a big overhanded shot to give the Terps a 4-1 advantage.

The Maryland transition game struck again with 3:54 to play in the second as Amato made the save on a shot by Matt White and then fired a great outlet pass to Bernhardt. No one on the Virginia defense picked Bernhardt up as he entered the box and he laced a shot past Heller from eight yards out.

The Cavaliers ended their 18:14 scoreless stretch at the 2:05 mark of the second when Mark Cockerton scored unassisted to make it a 5-2 game going into halftime.

Virginia opened the scoring in the second half with a goal by Tucker at the 13:37 mark.

The Cavaliers looked to have the momentum and a golden opportunity when Jesse Bernhardt was called for a non-releasable illegal body check with 12:11 to play in the third. The Wahoos only got one chance though thanks to another great save by Amato.

Maryland would then open up a 7-3 lead on back-to-back goals by Haus. The first came with 9:11 left on the clock as he tight-roped the crease and slipped a low shot past Heller. He scored again at the 2:25 mark when he ripped a shot from the left wing into the top right corner off of a feed from senior Jake Bernhadt.

Virginia seemed to have stemmed the tide near the end of the third when James Pannell scored with 31.8 left on the clock.

But Maryland wasn’t ready to concede the quarter. After sophomore Charlie Raffa won the ensuing faceoff, Chanenchuk found Carlson on the crease and Carlson scored on an off-balance behind-the-back shot to make it an 8-4 game heading into the fourth.

Carlson finished off his hat trick with a one-timer from the crease off of a feed from Cooper at the 8:47 mark of the fourth to give Maryland a 9-4 lead.

Cockerton scored his second of the game for Virginia to trim the Terrapin lead to 9-5 with 7:00 to play.

The lead was trimmed to 9-7 with back-to-back goals by Virginia’s Greg Coholan and O’Reilly with 1:27 to play, but Amato came up big again, making two of his 14 saves down the stretch to help preserve the victory.

Raffa finished the game winning 10-of-20 faceoffs with a game-high nine groundballs. Junior Michael Ehrhardt led the defenders with three groundballs, while sophomore Goran Murray had two groundballs and a caused turnover.

Maryland returns to on Friday, April 5 when it plays at Navy. Faceoff between the Terps and the Midshipmen is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Game Notes:
• With today’s 9-7 win, Maryland is now 46-43 all-time vs. Virginia.
• With three points on three goals, sophomore Jay Carlson now has three hat tricks, nine multi-point and eight multi-goals for his career.
• With two points on a goal and an assist, senior Kevin Cooper now 17 multi-point games for his career.
• With three points on two goals and an assist, senior John Haus now 24 multi-point and 12 multi-goal games for his career.
• With two points on a goal and an assist, junior Mike Chanenchuk now has 22 multi-point games for his career.
• With his 14 saves, junior Niko Amato now has 16 double-digit save games for his career.
• Amato’s assist in the second quarter was the third of his career and his first since assisting on a goal by Landon Carr vs. Virginia on March 31, 2012.

BALTIMORE, MD – One week after struggling to find a rhythm on both ends of the field, the 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team found its stride early in Saturday’s game against 14th-ranked Virginia and posted its most impressive win of the season as the Blue Jays raced past the Cavaliers, 15-8, in the second game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. Hopkins used a 9-0 run and held UVA scoreless for more than 31 minutes to fuel its third straight win in the series and return the Doyle Smith Cup to Homewood.

The Blue Jays (6-2) led 2-1 midway through the first quarter after Brandon Benn and Mike Poppleton scored goals just three seconds apart and Mark Cockerton answered less than 90 seconds later for Virginia. When the Cavaliers finally found the net again with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Blue Jays had stretched the 2-1 lead to 11-1.

Entering the game with 63% of its goals having been assisted, the Blue Jays won their individual battles during the game-deciding run as the first six goals in the spree were unassisted.

Sophomore Wells Stanwick and freshman Ryan Brown tallied first-quarter goals in the final 6:17 to push the lead to 4-1 and Lee Coppersmith and Drew Kennedy added strikes just four seconds apart before the second quarter was four minutes old to push the led to 6-1. A slow developing transition goal by Phil Castronova made it 7-1 and it looked like that score might hold until the half, but JHU struck twice in a seven-second span in the final minute of the second quarter to carry a 9-1 lead into the break.

Any hopes for a Virginia (5-4) comeback were dashed early in the third quarter when Stanwick completed his hat trick and Sanders added his second strike in a span of just 44 seconds to complete the 9-0 run and give JHU an 11-1 lead – the largest Johns Hopkins has held against Virginia since 1995, when the then second-ranked Blue Jays beat top-ranked Virginia, 22-13, at Homewood Field.

The Cavaliers, who were just 1-of-20 shooting in the first half, found their stride offensively late in the third quarter as a Nick O’Reilly strike and back-to-back goals by Cockerton trimmed the deficit to 11-4. Holden Cattoni’s opportunistic goal with 27 seconds left in the period made it 12-4 and Cockerton scored again just nine seconds later to make it 12-5 entering the final period.

The teams combined for six goals – three each – in the final 8:57 of the game to account for the 15-8 final. Charlie Streep scored two of Virginia’s three goals in the period, while Brown scored twice and Sanders once to complete their first career hat tricks for the Blue Jays.

Stanwick make it four straight games with four or more points as he added an assist to his three goals, while Brown added one assist to his three goals as well for a career-high four points. Sanders’ three goals boost his season total to 11 after he entered the season with just one in his first two years combined. In all, nine different players scored goals for JHU, which scored on 15 of its 44 shots. The Blue Jays were particularly sharp in the second quarter, when they scored on 5-of-12 shots; Virginia was 0-for-13 in that period as JHU took control.

While the 15 goals grabbed the headlines, the play of senior goalie Pierce Bassett was also strong. Bassett posted 16 saves – tied for the second-highest total of his career – including seven in the first half when Hopkins built its lead.

Cockerton, who entered the game ranked third nationally in goals per game, led the Cavaliers with four goals, while Streep scored twice and O’Reilly added two assist to his one goal. Virginia held advantages in shots (52-44), ground balls (32-30) and faceoffs (14-13), but the early Hopkins run was more than it could overcome.

• Maryland closes the 2012-13 regular season when it visits border-rival Virginia Sunday at 6 p.m. Following a 79-68 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday – just the third home loss of the season for Maryland – the Terps hope to even their conference record at 9-9 with a win over the Cavaliers.

• Maryland, which enters the weekend tied for sixth in the ACC with Florida State, will either be the No. 6 or No. 7 seed at the ACC Tournament. If Florida State beats NC State on Saturday, the Seminoles will earn the No. 6 seed as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Maryland. Should Florida State lose and Maryland win, the Terps would earn the No. 6 seed.

• Continuing his strong play as of late, Dez Wells scored a team-high 18 points while adding six rebounds, a season-high three steals, two blocks and two assists in the loss to North Carolina. Over the past three games, the sophomore is averaging 18.7 points per game, including a 23-point effort on 11-of-12 shooting at Wake Forest on March 2. Wells now leads the team with 12.2 points per game and is shooting 53.8 percent from the field, a mark which ranks eighth in the ACC.

• Nick Faust has also increased his scoring recently, having averaged 13.3 points per game on 62.5 percent shooting (20 of 32) over the past four games. The sophomore has also knocked down 46.7 percent of his 3-pointers (7 of 15) during that stretch.

• In the first meeting against Virginia, the Cavaliers came away from College with an 80-69 win after shooting 54.2 percent, the best mark by a Maryland opponent this season. Wells (13) and Seth Allen (11) scored in double figures for the Terps, while Joe Harris had 22 to lead a group of four Cavaliers in double figures.

Maryland-Virginia Series History

• Maryland leads the all-time series with Virginia, 106-72, which dates back to 1924. Virginia holds a 43-35 advantage at home.

• Virginia is currently on a four-game winning streak and has a 6-4 advantage over the past 10-games. Maryland swept the two-game season series in 2009-10, and won the first game of the series in 2010-11, before Virginia went on it’s current streak. The Cavs won 75-72 in overtime at Comcast Center last year.

“You can hear that you have a pretty happy locker room right next door. They just keep playing, they keep playing hard and giving everything they have for 60 minutes. When you do that you give yourself a chance and I’m very proud of them. Our execution can still be better but again, bottom line is we’re 2-0 in the ACC and 4-2 overall and we found a way to come on the road and get another victory, which I think is very, very important.”

On opening kick return for a touchdown:

“As I said to the team today at the hotel, the one thing we have to do is start fast and finish strong. I just didn’t know we were going to start that fast. The problem is I forgot to tell them to play in between the start and the finish. With Stefon (Diggs), nothing he does surprises me. Someone told me it was five-yards deep in the end zone and I figure he’s going to go down and then I see him start and I go, ‘No, no, no. Go, go, go! Yeah!’ It was one of those deals. That was a great start, and to get the first three scores, to put 17 up. Give Virginia credit, they are a good football team. They want to win, so to start like that and finish strong, again outscoring our opponent in the fourth quarter, making plays we needed to make, that’s kind of what this program is about, playing as hard as you can each and every play, never say die, just keep battling to impose your will on people.”

Thoughts on win in rivalry on the road:

“We compete against each other in recruiting. We don’t want them coming to Maryland and taking the kids we want and we want to be able to come down to Virginia and take the kids that we want. When it’s your crossover game and you take a look at how many times each of us has played against each other, it’s significant. What’s even more significant is when you are able to come in their house and beat them. To me that’s tremendous credit to these players and to the assistant coaches.”

On juggling the offensive line:

“To tell you the truth it wasn’t much of a problem because we anticipated and practiced certain ways during the week in terms of possible scenarios that could happen. One of the scenarios we made in practice on Thursday, because I always meet with the specialty coaches on Thursday, but just in terms of substitutions and how we were going to pack things in, the one thing we said was if anything happens to Sal (Conaboy), we’re at the point now that we’re going to take Evan Mulrooney and let him go in and be the backup and we’ll evaluate his play afterwards because we have Bennett (Fulper), who has played there, and we put Josh (Cary) in because of what we’ve seen of Evan at practice. He has elevated himself, so when Sal went down, give Sal credit because he tried to sneak back in, showing you the kind of player he is, but Evan went in, I’ll have to look at the film because I’m sure he made mistakes, but we’ll put in whoever we have to put in to get the job done. That’s what I like, everyone has to contribute when it’s their time.”

On his defense’s performance:

“We gave up some big plays but Virginia is a good offense. If you look at their numbers they are a good offense, and they present you with some problems. The bottom line is, I think they were seven of 20 from the third-down line, but we made some plays when we had to and that’s all I want from my guys. They can move the ball all they want in between the twenties but our tight red zone defense was outstanding today. We block a field goal and we hold them to two field goals, that’s something that I’m really proud of in terms that they hung in there and found a way to get it done.”

On Rocco coming in over Sims at the game’s end:

“As I evaluate them, watching them on film, I think he is the best passer that they have so it didn’t surprise me that when they got into that situation where they had to throw the ball that he would come in because, as I said, I think that he is the best pure passer of the two so I’ll leave it at that.”

Freshman Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs

On winning:

“A lot of kids from my school play at UVa, so it felt good to come here and play so many people that I know. There was a great energy and a great vibe playing here. I’m glad we could come and win in their house.”

On running game:

“We have had a lot of ups and down, but it’s all about how you look at it in the end. You have to have faith in your quarterback, and you can’t get down on him at all.”

On 100 yard kickoff return:

“I knew once I got the ball in the end zone that I was going to take it out regardless. I hesitated a little at first because they were telling me to ‘stay in, stay in’ but I was thinking, ‘No we’re going to take this one out.’ Last game we had a shot but we didn’t go for it. My front line guys did a good job so I didn’t want them to waste all their energy.”

Sophomore Wide Receiver Marcus Leak

On season so far:

“Everyone has such high hopes for the season, and we’re all expecting a lot of good things from each other. We struggle with playing all four quarters together. You can notice that in certain games we will play good the first half and the other team will come back the second half. We just need to learn how to put all four quarters together. We’re getting better each day.

On punt return:

“Coach told me to come in and make sure that I caught everything and that’s what I did. I think Stefon [Diggs] may have gotten a little nicked up, but he came and asked me to go in. It turned out ok.”

Senior Defensive Lineman Joe Vellano

On playing all four quarters:

“That’s the biggest thing, just fighting on every play and I think our team kept fighting. The Virginia offense had a lot of runs and combinations, they made some plays on us that were tough but we just had to step it up in the red zone, and we blocked that field goal which gave us great momentum.”

On Virginia turnovers:

“We’ve been working on that all week. We have to capitalize when we get them and really take advantage of that opportunity when they lose the ball like that.”

On season compared to two years ago:

“Everyone is just fighting harder and taking it week by week. Everyone really wants it and we’re focusing on the ACC now. Next week [vs NC State] is one of our biggest games that we’ve ever played, so we’re just glad to get this one and now we need to get ready for next week.

On defense:

“We do two minute drills and a lot of guys take a lot of pride in those last two minutes, so we were just stepping it up. We try to prevent easy reads and hold them to their line.”

Postgame Notes

Kicking Off: Maryland improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the ACC with the win, while Virginia dropped to 2-5 and 0-3 in the league … the road team has won six of the last seven games in the series … Maryland leads the all-time series, which began in 1919, 43-32-2 overall and 22-18 on the road … the last time the Terrapins started 2-0 in the ACC was 2001.

Diggs’ Return: Stefon Diggs gave Maryland a lead it wouldn’t surrender by taking the game’s opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. That was just the fourth 100-yard kickoff return for a TD in school history and the first since Josh Wilson had one in 2006. The others were Kenny Ambrusko vs. Navy (1964) and Dick Novak/Dennis Condie vs. Virginia in 1960 (Novak returned to the 9-yard line, then lateraled to Condie who returned 91 yds. for TD).

More on Diggs: Diggs came into Saturday’s game leading the ACC with 21.4 yards per catch and exceeded that against the Cavs with 89 yards on four catches (22.25 ypc). On the day, Diggs had a season-high 239 all-purpose yards (147 kick return, 89 receiving, 3 rushing).

Pass Rush: The Terps had a season-high five sacks, the fourth time this year they’ve had at least three in a game (4 vs. William & Mary, 3 vs. Temple, 3 vs. Wake Forest). Joe Vellano and Darin Drakeford delivered two each, while Keith Bowers had one.

Steady Signal Caller: Perry Hills was steady all game and helped seal the win by leading Maryland on a 6-play, 47-yard drive early in the fourth quarter to increase Maryland’s lead to 24-13. Hills went 14 of 26 for 237 yards and a touchdown on the day, and added a 6-yard touchdown run which capped the touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

Defensive Notes: Joe Vellano tallied a team-high nine tackles including three for a loss and two sacks. Vellano now has 11 tackles for loss on the season, a team high … Darin Drakeford had two sacks, a forced fumble and seven total tackles (five unassisted) … Maryland totaled 10 tackles for loss.

Tidbits: Maryland’s 14 first quarter points were its most in the opening quarter this season … freshman Anthony Nixon’s interception in the first quarter was the first of his career … A.J. Francis recorded his second blocked field goal of the season (also vs. Temple) … Maryland lost the battle for time of possession, 33:32 to 26:28, but still won. The Terps are 2-1 when they fail to win TOP (win over William & Mary, loss to Connecticut) … the Terps committed just one penalty in the game and committed one turnover, while Virginia had two turnovers and seven penalties.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Led by a defense that ranks as one of the nation’s best, Maryland will look to build on its ACC-opening victory over Wake Forest when it travels to Virginia for a 3 p.m. game that will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic locally. The Terps and Cavaliers will be meeting for the 77th time, the most between Maryland and any other school in the Terps’ 120-year football history.

First-and-10

• For the first time since 1999, Maryland has held its opponent under 300 yards of total offense in four of the season’s first five games. Only No. 5 West Virginia, which is averaging 570.8 yards of total offense per game, exceeded the 300 mark against the Terrapins (363). The Terps rank seventh nationally in total defense (257.2 ypg), seventh in rushing defense (81.0 ypg) and 15th in passing defense (176.2 ypg). Maryland has been very tough against the run with an experienced front seven highlighted by senior defensive linemen Joe Vellano and A.J. Francis, and senior linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield. Those three have played a big role in holding opponents to an average of just 2.3 yards per rush, which ranks third nationally. The Terps received a major boost to their linebacking corps with the return of Kenneth Tate in the West Virginia game. Tate, a 2010 consensus first team All-ACC choice, had missed the previous 11 games dating back to the 2011 season due to a knee injury. The fifth-year senior has already made an impact in his two games back: he has eight tackles, two for a loss, a sack, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He and Hartsfield helped seal the victory over Wake Forest by providing back-to-back sacks late in the fourth quarter, preserving a 19-14 win. Hartsfield earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors for his play.

• Offensively, wide receiver Stefon Diggs continues to be Maryland’s most dynamic playmaker. The freshman has put together back-to-back 100-yard receiving games by catching three passes for 113 yards and two TDs against West Virginia and then hauling in five passes for 105 yards vs. Wake Forest. Against the Demon Deacons, his 63-yard reception midway through the fourth quarter setup the game-winning score. Diggs, who ranks second in the ACC and 19th nationally with 154.8 all-purpose yards per game, is the only player in the conference with 350 receiving yards, 150 punt return yards and 150 kickoff return yards. He has been named ACC Rookie of the Week in each of his last two games.

• Quarterback Perry Hills, who is just the third true freshman quarterback to start for Maryland in school history (Randall Jones in 1998; Latrez Harrison in 1999), is directing the offense. Hills had his best collegiate game against West Virginia when he finished 20 of 29 for 305 yards and three touchdowns, all season highs. He led Maryland on the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of the season opener against William & Mary, and was named ACC Rookie of the Week after going 11 of 21 for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the win at Temple.

• The Maryland running game has been a work in progress as four capable backs have all seen time this season. SophomoreJustus Pickett, the most experienced of the four, and true freshman Wes Brown received the bulk of the carries against Wake Forest. Brown leads the team with 150 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry, while Pickett is second with 137 rushing yards and is a threat on screen passes, having caught 13 passes for 70 yards. True freshman Albert Reid, who started against William & Mary, and redshirt freshman Brandon Ross, who started the last two games, have also been in the mix.

Quick Hitters• A Terrapin has received Rookie of the Week honors three times in Maryland’s last four games. Quarterback Perry Hillsearned the award for his play against Temple (9/8), while Stefon Diggs received the honor for his play against West Virginia (9/22) and Wake Forest (10/6). Hills became the first Maryland true freshman QB to earn the award since Calvin McCall on 9/20/99, while Diggs became the first Maryland freshman receiver to earn it since Darrius Heyward-Bey on 10/30/06.

• Diggs ranks ninth in the conference and first among freshmen with 72.8 receiving yards per game. Diggs, who has 17 catches for 364 yards, is averaging 21.4 yards per catch. That leads all ACC receivers with 15 or more catches. It also ranks third among the top-100 receivers (yards per game) nationally.

• Diggs is the only Maryland freshman to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since at least 1985, the earliest game-by-game statistics were recorded at the school.

• Maryland allowed Wake Forest to complete just 32.4 percent of its passes (13 of 38). That is the lowest percentage by an opponent with at least 30 passing attempts since Duke went 13 of 42 (30.9%) on Nov. 14, 1998.

• Joe Vellano’s father, Paul Vellano, was inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 5. The elder Vellano was a first team All-American in 1973, while Joe was a second team All-American in 2011. The father-son combo represent one of four known father-son All-America combos to attend the same FBS school (also Lee and Travis McGriff at Florida; Kevin and Drew Butler at Georgia; Archie and Eli Manning at Ole Miss).

• Thirteen players have made their first career starts at some point this season. In the season opener against William & Mary, quarterback Perry Hills, running back Albert Reid, safety Sean Davis, defensive back Jeremiah Johnson, linebacker Cole Farrand, nose tackle Darius Kilgo and offensive lineman Nick Klemm debuted. Against Connecticut, wide receiver Stefon Diggs made his first career start; defensive back Isaac Goins and running back Brandon Ross made their starting debuts at West Virginia. Defensive back Anthony Nixon and offensive linemen Mike Madaras and Andrew Zeller made their first starts vs. Wake Forest.

• Fourteen players saw their first career action for Maryland against William & Mary, and 22 players have seen their first career action for Maryland at some point this season (12 true freshmen, seven redshirt freshmen, two juniors, one senior).

• Maryland’s defense allowed just 682 total yards to opponents through its first three games (William & Mary – 229, Temple – 230, Connecticut – 223). That marks its best defensive performance in a three-game span since 2004, when it held The Citadel (137), West Virginia (156) and Eastern Michigan (275) to a total of 568.

• Maryland held a high-powered West Virginia offense that came in averaging 226 rushing yards per game to just 25 yards on 25 attempts.

• West Virginia came into its game with Maryland averaging 612 yards of total offense and 55.5 points per game. The Terps held the Mountaineers well below those averages, surrendering 363 yards and 31 points, seven of which came on a fumble return for a TD by the WVU defense.

• The Terps surrendered just 45 yards to Wake Forest in the second half, including just four in the fourth quarter. Maryland has been at its best in the second half all year, surrendering just 121.4 yards in the second half.

• The Terps are holding opponents to 2.3 yards per carry, which ranks third nationally. Of the opponents’ 174 rushing attempts this season, 122 (70.1%) have been for three yards or less (28 of 41 vs. William & Mary; 28 of 39 vs. Temple; 25 of 40 vs. Connecticut; 20 of 25 vs. West Virginia; 21 of 29 vs. Wake Forest).

• Demetrius Hartsfield leads the team with 43 tackles and three sacks, and has had a hand in three turnovers, also a team high (one interception, two fumble recoveries).

• The Terps have done a good job controlling the clock. In five games, Maryland has had the ball for an average of 31:43 to 28:17 for the opponent. That’s a major upgrade compared to 2011, when Maryland averaged just 25:16 a game to 34:44 for the opponent. Against Wake Forest the Terps did their best job of clock control all season, holding the ball for 35:48 to just 24:12 for Wake.

• Head coach Randy Edsall hands out game balls for each win. In the win over William & Mary, Marcus Leak got the game ball for offense, Joe Vellano for defense and Nathan Renfro for special teams. In the win over Temple, Sal Conaboy got the game ball for offense, Demetrius Hartsfield for defense and A.J. Francis for special teams. Against Wake, Kevin Dorsey got the offensive game ball, Jeremiah Johnson the defensive and Anthony Nixon special teams.

• Against William & Mary, Perry Hills became the first true freshman starter at quarterback for Maryland since Latrez Harrison in 1999. He also became the first freshman to start a season opener since redshirt freshman Calvin McCall on Sept. 2, 1999, in a 6-0 win over Temple.

• Saturday’s game will mark the 77th meeting between the Terrapins and Cavaliers, the most between Maryland and any other school in the Terps’ 120-year football history. The schools have met every season since 1957.

• Maryland leads the all-time series, which began in 1919, by a 42-32-2 margin.

• Maryland is 21-18 all-time against Virginia on the road, and has won two of the last three meetings in Charlottesville. The road team has won five of the last six meetings.

• Virginia has won four out of the last five in the series, with Maryland’s win coming in Charlottesville in 2010.

• From 1969 through 2000, play between the two schools was feast or famine for one team. From 1969-87, the Terrapins held an 18-1 advantage in the series and at one point ran off 16 wins in a row, the longest streak in the series. Then from 1988 to 2000, the series swung almost exclusively to the Cavs as they were 11-2 in that span. Over the last 11 meetings, Virginia holds a 6-5 edge.

• Maryland’s 41-21 win in 2001 broke a string of nine straight losses to Virginia. In the win, the Terps allowed a 24-7 lead to be cut to three in the third quarter before scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth to win going away.